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Creating Action Figures

When you are creating a fantasy scene, literally out of this world, your job is to make something unreal look totally convincing. Central to the discipline of fantasy art is the imagination combined with a good grounding in anatomy. This will free you not only to create convincing representations of ordinary people but also to explore inventive anatomy, and to render Having shown you how to structure your figures, this section then looks at how to bring them to life with movement and...

Because of the range of mobility of the trapezius it is important to use reference material when drawing such a well-built character. When wielding a sword, it will be necessary to pay attention to the arms the flexors along the front of the arm, supinators, and extensors on the back of the forearm. Barbarians are in their element when shown in battle scenes. The background of carnage and destruction here only adds to the overall picture. For poses such as these it is helpfuf to begin by...

Looking up This view emphasizes the thick, well-defined muscles of the neck, indicated by a strong outline and minimal shading. &lt Three-quarters looking down This shows how hair and accessories can really speak volumes about a character. A From the side Notice how the angle of the head can affect the overall perception of an expression.

Female fantasy heroes should look powerful and capable of great deeds of strength or daring, while retaining their feminine figure and disarming sexuality. The arms are raised and the knuckles are pronounced, displaying the strength of their grip on the sword or spear. The breasts are slightly flattened because the body is stretched and ready to strike, but because this is a standing strike, one leg stands forward to balance the forward angle of the body which in turn slightly angles the line...

To become a good fantasy artist, you must treat it in the same way as the acquisition of skills in any area you must practice. It's impossible to express ideas unless you have the necessary technical ability. Develop your rendering of form and structure, light and shade by drawing from observation in your sketchbook. This does not mean that you should not also sharpen your inventiveness by drawing and doodling the kinds of fantasy subjects that interest you from imagination but you need to keep...

The body is crumpled and cowed, with the back exposed to strikes from above. The head is low and faces the ground in hopeless defeat. As night follows day, so there must be a villain for every hero. The body language of a villain must communicate the propensity for evil and treacherous mischief. The face is screwed up into a fierce snarl, while the body is angled foiward to give the impression of movement and direction, also suggested by the trailing heel being lifted from the ground. The body...

Amazon Sonia's masculine traits are unusual among female fantasy figures, and provide a challenge to the artist who must show both her masculine and feminine side. A Three-quarters from the front The relaxed facial expression and proud position of the head give the impression of a self-assured, perhaps slightly smug temperament. Stance Sonia's masculine stance can also be provocative. None of Sonia's muscle groups stand out as larger than others, but because she is well-toned enough for most of...

Conceived, designed, and produced by Quarto Publishing pic The Old Brewery 6 Blundell Street London N7 9BH Quarto would like to thank Al Davison for the original idea that was the starting point for this book. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microfilm, xerography, or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the copyright owner. AH inquiries should be addressed to Barron's...

Masculine facial features bold and head shape rounded . 3. Waist barely narrower than hips-unusual for a female character. 4. Extremely well-defined muscles. 5. Focus drawn away from feminine features. 6. Body shape in genera dictated much more by muscle than by bone. Sonia's masculine nature is reflected 4 in her stance. She is usually positioned exactly as one would arrange a male figure, highlighting none of her feminine attributes. Only the female head, breasts, and clothing tell us this...

The source, color, and intensity of light in a scene has a huge atmospheric effect and can help to enhance and emphasize a character's anatomical details. A figure well lit by a natural light source, such as the sun, will always look less sinister than the same figure meagerly lit by an artificial source from an abstract angle. In a character partly conceaied by shade, less is more, and letting the viewer's imagination fill in the blanks can produce some powerful images. You can add both visual...

The starting point a simplified figure, reduced to its basic shapes. 2. Filling out the figure to portray convincing muscle movements, position, and balance. This conveys the sense of movement and effectively brings the character to life. 3. The use of foreshortening gives a dynamic sense of the character's speed. 4. Balance your character with arm movements, which move in time with the legs but in opposite directions. 5. It is more difficult to use body language with a running character, so...

Sven is our not very lovable Viking hero, or antihero, with the typical mesomorphic body of the hero in fantasy art. Sven is a muscular, athletic character with an aggressive and outgoing personality. He is very fit, like a body builder, with well-defined musculature and hardly any fat. Sven has an impressive stature with slim hips and waist, broad shoulders, big arms and legs, and a thick neck. 1. Surly, belligerent, aggressive expression, known in the industry as the Arnie. 2. Helmet,...

Clothing is the most immediate visual indication of character. In fact, costume is a better term, as clothes and accessories influence a character's actions and poses. Strong colors indicate boldness and power softer colors can signal gentleness or weakness. Females usually wear garments that accentuate their feminine form, and superheroes dress in a way that emphasizes their strength. Every part of his body is hidden inside this forbidding metal carapace, apart from his glowing eyes. Medieval...

The center of balance is quite far back in this pose, so the arm in full extension is used as support. The triceps bulge to take the strain. This is a relaxed pose, with the head tilted slightly to one side stretching the neck muscles, and the small waist and smooth leg outline maintaining a feminine aspect.

The upper body is the powerhouse of the fantasy physique. Strong, well-defined musclestructure over well-proportioned bones underpins any powerful hero or villain. A good pose to illustrate proportions of the arms, head, and upper body. The shoulders are pronounced, curving smoothly into the arms, and the flat stomach is subtly defined. As the arms stretch the chest, they simultaneously cause the shoulders to contract, creating pronounced ridging of the back muscles. The arms are straight and...

The vertical line in each of these sketches is the line of action, which indicates the direction in which your figure should move, and gives the piece momentum and energy. The movement is normally through the legs and spine, but you can adapt it depending on your needs. The wizard's powerful musculature, as displayed from the back. The wizard's authority and power is conveyed through his posture and stance. Here we see the wizard in a classical, heroic mode. His right latissimus dorsi lat...

The fingers taper toward the ends, but widen out at the joints. The finger bones extend beyond the knuckles into the back of the hand. Looking at the shapes in between the fingers helps you to get the fingers right The thumb is attached at a large joint positioned close to the wrist. Here's where you really have to get to know your skeleton, because the shape of hands is dictated almost entirely by their bones. Muscle groups rarely have any definition because, although maximum dexterity is a...

Ft is essential to understand how muscles work in motion. Exciting art begins and ends with action, and to that end, bodies must be stretched and pulled into any number of realistically rendered positions. When in motion, muscles take on new shapes that are sometimes surprising Some grow, some shrink, and others seem to appear as if from nowhere Although a lot of attention is usually given to the obvious muscles, such as biceps, pectorals, and abdominals, lesser noticed muscles, such as the...

The back is elongated and stretched as the head is lowered and the upper legs are brought forward. The vertebral column is visible on the surface of the skin at the top of the back. The heels are slightly raised off the ground for balance, which is maintained as the arms rest on the knees. The chest and shoulders are broad and well defined, whereas the waist is pinched, and the abdominal muscles are relaxed. The neck is as wide as the head, and the features are stern and sharp. The right leg is...

This hero's rippling musculature and confident poise, especially in contrast to his sidekick's cowering, confirm his prowess as a warrior. His Celtic adornments and the strange way in which the light plays on the water in which he's standing suggest that he also operates in a dimension beyond the purely physical. James Hyman This physique has been customized for destruction. A broad chest helps to support massive shoulders and vast cybernetic arms, and the whole colossal form is kept alive by...

The face is by far and away the most expressive part of the body, and as such you will need to make absolutely sure your expressions are clear and comprehensible. Don't be afraid to exaggerate your expressions to the limit, in keeping with the general theme of fantasy art A bold, clear expression is not only easy to decipher, it is also striking and exciting. Small glitches, such as an unintentionally raised eyebrow or corner of the mouth, can be misleading, and give your character's expression...

This area of the body helps to underline the sexuality of the character, so females need a flaring pelvic girdle and rounded hips leading to long, lithe legs, whereas males require bulging legs rippling with corded muscle. The ribs curve slightly down from either side of the spine, and the muscles essentially follow this downward swoop, especially in the lower back, The outside of the foot curves smoothly toward the little toe, This contrasts with the instep, which is between the slim heel and...

lt This natural style tells us that she has more important things to think about than her hair. Using specific body types when drawing fantasy figures helps to These figures have a hefty, rounded build, with a tendency to become fat Sumo characters are a perfect example. Endomorphs are used much less often than either mesomorphs or ectomorphs, and commonly appear as secondary characters, usually on the side of evil, in roles where the novelty of their size is fundamental. Endomorphs can be...

Although the progress of this work is broken down into nineteen stages, it's best to bear in mind that the faster you can do the main body of the work, the more energy your finished painting is likely to have. It's all too easy to get tied up in a particular detail and leave the rest of the picture to languish, so try to move about the surface of the painting so that the whole thing evolves at a steady rate. and materials you prefer and see how different media behave when CS10 art board has a...

These character sketches from different positions show how dramatically the shape of muscles can change depending on the character's pose and the artist's viewpoint. to the back Notice the gill on the upper part of the , neck. This echoes the gill-like openings on the torso and makes the Marine alien The immediately recognizable female physique is given a . strong sense of strangeness by the oddly textured skin and the fleshy, snakelike strands of hair. The glowing eyes are a dramatic touch,...

Sultry, shamanistic, and thoroughly strange, Charybdis embodies what every artist looks for in an alien female, though physically she is based on the female heroine figure. Keep the image simple, paying attention to the basic form and the way the joints move. No figure is entirely believable unless the foundation is in place first. 1. Alien hair thick strands of flesh. 2. Forehead marking individual features such as these help to create a complete picture of the character. 3. Skin markings give...